Cook Well Healthy Recipes and Preparation Tips

What is Kimchi?

Kimchi, or as you may have seen spelled kimchee or gimchi, is a fermented, traditional Korean side dish, and one of our favorite healthy recipes. It’s typically made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. There are many different varieties of kimchi, made with cabbage, radishes, scallions, garlic, ginger or cucumber as the main ingredients.

Kimchi’s main ingredients are typically napa cabbage and daikon radish. Kimchi can also be used in a variety of cooked dishes, such as a sauce for Brussels sprouts or braised with short ribs. The versatility of Kimchi makes it a great and healthy addition to use in everyday cooking and with other healthy recipes.

Because it is a fermented dish, Kimchi needs additional time to ferment. We recommend starting a batch about a week before you plan to use it. You will need a clean 2-quart or 2-liter glass jar with a tightfitting lid to hold the Kimchi while it ferments. Do not use plastic, as the odors from the Kimchi can be hard to remove from plastic.

Korean red pepper powder or kochukaru is what gives kimchee its spiciness. It can be found in Korean markets in large resealable plastic bags, in different grades of coarseness and spiciness. Choose a grade based on your personal preference. Also known as saeujeot, Korean salted shrimp are very small, naturally fermented shrimp that impart authentic flavor to Kimchi. They are sold in jars and can be found in the refrigerator case of Korean markets.

Learn Why Kimchi Is Good for You and Why It’s One of Our Favorite Healthy Recipes! For more information: click here.